Investigators close in on possible suspect as web sleuths take matters into their own hands

As officials continue to seek suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, individuals are taking to the internet in efforts to identify potential culprits.

A group called 4chan ThinkTank posted a 57-picture album on the website imgur.com today that featured images of people who had black backpacks after it was revealed investigators were in possession of a video of a possible suspect.

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Boston bombings spawn baseless conspiracies

An ugly reality that accommpanies events like the Boston bombings are the predictable conspiracy theories that follow.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department yesterday circulated a picture of a damaged black backpack that investigators believe may have held one of the two explosive devices placed near the race’s finish line.

The imgur.com website has had more than 1.5 million views, while on reddit.com, a subgroup called ‘‘findbostonbombers’’ had more than 100 message threads, ranging from ‘‘Electronic Bomb Component Analysis’’ to ‘‘Blue Robe Guy’’. The latter refers to a bearded white male wearing a red shirt, blue jacket and carrying a black backpack over his right arm.

Vigilante warnings ... an image being examined by online sleuths on a popular photo-sharing website.

In what may prove to be a major breakthrough, a person carrying a black bag near the scene of the second bombing was caught on a surveillance video taken by a nearby Lord & Taylor department store, the Boston Globe has reported. The person had not been identified, however.

The FBI and Boston police were forced to deny a CNN report that a suspect had been taken into police custody.

No stone unturned ... Investigators inspect the roof of a building above the bomb blast site in Boston. Photo: Reuters

The lid of one pressure cooker was found on the roof of the Charlesmark Hotel, close to the marathon finish line where the bombs were placed. A guest, whose girlfriend was running in the race, had been watching from the roof and just after the bombs exploded he found what he thought was the hub of a car wheel and handed it to police.

Shreds of black nylon bags believed to have been used to carry the bombs have also been found.